Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers are increasingly becoming primary personal computing devices. Their portability and convenience encourage frequent usage across a wide variety of applications. In use, mobile devices tend to become highly personalized to a particular user, accumulating numerous configuration and personalization settings as well as detailed usage data.
Mobile devices are also subject to relatively short product lifecycles. Available mobile processing power and storage space are quickly increasing, which accelerates device obsolescence and encourages rapid upgrade cycles. Mobile devices themselves typically do not include user-serviceable or upgradeable components, meaning that the entire device is usually replaced. Additionally, many mobile devices are subsidized by cellular carriers with the purchase of a contract, encouraging upgrades with every contract cycle, typically every two years. Some settings and applications may be transferred from a typical mobile device to a new device by synchronizing both devices with a personal computer. Full personalization data, including saved passwords and usage information, is typically not transferred. Further, settings and applications typically may not be transferred to a new mobile device running a different operating system or featuring a different processor architecture.